Electro-magnetic brake



(No Model.)

H. WALTER. ELECTED MAGNETIQ BRAKE.

,238. Patented Oct. 11-, 1881.

a Unitas STATES PATENT @FFECF- ELECTRO-MAGNETIC BRAKE..'

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 248,238, dated October 11, 1881.

Application filed May 26, 1881.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HUGO WALTER, a citi- .zen of the United States, residing at Cincinnetic Brakes, of which thei'ollowingis a speciform.

fication.

Myinvention relates tomeausfor operatingrailway-car brakes by electromagnetic force, its object being to provide a practicable, efficient, and economical means of applying the powerdeveloped by a battery, dynamo-machine, or other generator of electricity to the braking of railway cars and trains.

To this end myinventionconsists in a novel construction of braking apparatus, wherein the electromagnetic force is applied directly to the shaft of an ordinary hand brake-wheel, or to the hand brake-wheel itself, which, for the purpose, is constructed in the form of a rotary electromagnetic motor; and, also, in theconstruction and arrangement of the other parts and details of the apparatus, as more particularly hereinafter pointed out..

My invention is embodied in mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which---- Figure l is a side elevation of the apparatus, showing the brake-wheel in section. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the brake-wheel motor as appearing at the under side, and Fig. 3 a plan view of the commutator or pole-changer.

- Similar letters designate in the drawings-the parts referred to in this specification.

A in the drawings designates the brakewheel,,whose construction will be described later. It is attached rigidly to the brake-rod B, in the usual manner, the latter being held in rigid bearings, and provided in all respects for operation by hand, as is customary. The wheel A is preferably of an inverted-dish form, provided externally with radial handles a, for convenience of manipulation when the brakes are to be operated by hand, and with radial arms a extending inwardly in a horizontal plane from the rim, which serve as the helix cores of electro-magnets. The wheel A, with its arms a a may be cast in the required The arms a are then wound with a continuous insulatedwire, constituting them a (No model.)

series of electro-magnets with the terminals of the wire carried to and suitably connected with a commutator or pole-changer, D, rigidly secured at a convenient point upon the shaft B, where, by means of metallic brushes, contact is made for the binding-posts 00 ac, and thence with the battery or generator under control of the attendant. This portion of the apparatus operates in connection with a series of permanent magnets or permanently-charged electromagnets, c, mounted radially in a horizontal plane upon a head, 0, and arranged to registerwith the magnets a of the wheel A, with which the head G is concentric. The head 0 is rigidly secured upon an insulated bracket, b, or other proper support upon the car, and remains fixed,'its magnets being also wound with a; continuous insulated wire, whose ends are carried to and connected with a permanent battery, E, (indicated by dotted lines,) placed at some convenient point upon or in the car.

The parts A and O, with their magnets, as will be readily understood, are arranged as in the case of a rotary electromagnetic motor, the poles of the rotating member A passing those of the fixed member 0, nearly, but not changes of polarity in the magnets of the rotating member, which is effected by the commutator or pole-changer D in the following manner: The latter consists of a series of segments, cl,preferahly of brass, corresponding in number with the magnets a. The segments are insulated from each other, and-form, when placed together, a cylinder or collar rigidly secured upon but insulated from the brake-shaft B, with which it and the wheel A revolve. Alternate segments d are electrically connected in such manner that the positive current from the generator will pass through one series and the negative current through the alternate series, the ends of the helix a being connected respectively with one and the other series of connected segments.

Fixed spring contact strips or brushes b are arranged to operate upon the external periphery of the cylinder D at opposite sides, one being in contact with one set of segments while the other is in contact with the other set, but

never in contact with the same set at the same ,quite, in contact, being driven by the alternate at proper intervals, and by alternate attraction time. These brushes may be attached, as shown, to the sides of the bracket b, and are connected thence to binding-posts w x and to the generator under control of the attendant.

The parts are so arranged that by the rotation of the wheel-shaft B and the commutator D, the polarity of the currents passing through the helices of the electro-magnets a is changed and repulsion rotate the wheel A.

The charging power may be abattery dynamo machine or generator of any kind under control of the engineer or conductor, the currents being transmitted from car to car by wire or other conductors in any convenient manner.

It will be seen that the brake mechanism remains in its normal condition ready to be operated by hand in any emergency by means of the handles a and the usual ratchet-wheel and pawl for retaining the brakes when set.

It will be obvious that the outer magnets, a, may be constituted the permanent magnets, and the inner ones arranged to be charged by the temporary currents; also, that the rotary motor may be arranged separately from the 1 brake-wheel or upon a counter shaft and transmit its power by gearing; but the arrangement shown is deemed preferable.

Having described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In combination, with the winding-shaft and brake mechanism of a railway-car, an electro-magnetic motor arranged upon the winding-shaft and adapted to be used as a handwheel or electric motor at will, substantially as specified.

2. In the brake mechanism of a railway-car, the concave-wheel A, provided with inner radial magnets, to, and external handles, 0?, in combination with the winding-shaft B and the fixed head 0, provided with magnets 0, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HUGO WALTER.

Witnesses (J. P. DOOLITTLE, L. M. HOSEA. 

